The invention relates to a housing for storing multiple information discs, more particularly multiple optical discs having a central aperture such as CD's, DVD's etc., the housing comprising the following three housing parts; a hinging first housing part having the general shape of a shallow open box having a first housing part main wall, opposed first housing part lateral side walls and opposed first housing part transverse side walls; a hinging second housing part having the general shape of a shallow open box having a second housing part main wall, opposed second housing part lateral side walls and opposed second housing part transverse side walls; an intermediate third housing part arranged between the first and second housing parts and having an intermediate housing part main wall, opposed intermediate housing part lateral side walls and opposed intermediate housing part transverse side walls; four corner hinges, two for connecting the first housing part to the intermediate housing part and two for connecting the second housing part to the intermediate housing part on opposite sides of the intermediate housing part main wall so that each of the said first and second housing parts hingingly cooperates with the intermediate housing part on opposite sides; each corner hinge being formed by two hinge elements respectively, one hinge element being a hinge arm connected to one of the said three housing parts and the other hinge element being connected to another of the three housing parts.
A housing of this general kind for storing multiple information discs is known from EP 0 114 631 A1. The known housing is designed for the storage of a number of optical discs and may be seen as a special modification of the classic Jewel Box housing for storing a single optical information disc such as a CD, a CD-ROM, a DVD, etc. The well known classic single disc Jewel Box design comprises a lid part which is hingingly connected to a bottom part in which a so called tray part is secured provided with a centrally located holding device for holding the one information disc. The multiple information disc housing according to EP 0 114 631 however basically comprises three housing parts, i.e. two identical hinging housing parts which are identical to the single CD basic Jewel Box bottom part and an intermediate housing part. The intermediate third housing part has opposed lateral intermediate housing part side walls which, in the closed condition of the housing, cover the corresponding lateral side walls of the hinging first and second housing parts. The height dimension of this prior art multiple information disc housing is twice the height dimension of a single disc classic Jewel Box design, the remaining dimension being generally identical to the classic Jewel Box design so that the housing may be arranged next to single disc Jewel boxes in a sales display stand, a bookcase, etc.
This prior art multiple information disc housing has the following disadvantages.
In the absence of a lid part, there is no printed lid part insert sheet available so that a user is not enabled to immediately read information on the inside of the lid part, additionally provided to the information readable from the outside. In the standard single disc housing the lid part may be provided with a simple single sheet information insert or with a multiple page booklet. Jewel Box manufactures use automated machinery to introduce the lid part inserts in the standard Jewel Box lid parts to improve productivity. Unfortunately with the prior art multiple information disc housing, such available production machinery can not be used.
In opening one of the first and second housing parts, a user not only hingingly moves the housing part relative to the remainder of the housing, but also a CD which is provided on the disc holding means of the housing part being moved. There is a risk that the CD may fall out of the housing, more particularly while the hinging housing part which is being moved has a general shape which is identical to a standard Jewel Box bottom part including an inserted tray part. In the bottom part of standard Jewel boxes, the opposed bottom part lateral side walls do not completely cover the side edges of the optical disc. Leaving out the tray parts from one or both the hinging first and second housing parts of the prior art multiple information disc housing is not an option. The tray part is needed to retain the printed insert sheets provided between the tray part and the hinging first and second housing parts respectively, even in cases that a CD would not be provided on the housing part in question.
Providing an information booklet is difficult or impossible in cases wherein the intermediate third housing part main wall is provided with holding means for an optical disc at both of its opposed faces.
The housing includes at least five separate parts, the three housing parts already mentioned and a tray part in each of the two hinging bottom parts and possibly additionally disc holding means at one or both faces of the main wall of the intermediate housing part.